‘I want to put the Isle of Man on the world map – the island deserves it.’

That’s the ambition of the head of the Opul brand, Neeraj Bhatia, who has invested tens of millions of pounds into the island’s economy.

Headquartered at the Opul Centre, formerly Tower House, Opul has built up an impressive portfolio that includes five seafront hotels, taxi firms, a coach operator, Northern Fuels and the Jet Centre.

‘I've not even done 10% of what I want to do for the island,’ he says. ‘I'm trying to bring lots of big companies to come and invest here.

‘I want to make the Isle of Man rich again.’

While few would have heard of Opul until perhaps a year ago, Neeraj has lived in the island with his family since 2019 having first visited with his wife Chetna in 2003.

‘We booked a ferry, we came here, fell in love with the place, and I said: “Some day we’ll move here”.’

They relocated from London when their daughter started attending King William’s College.

‘Moving here allowed her to enjoy her teenage years and not feel unsafe. Safety is the first thing I see here.’

The couple had moved to the UK from India in 2002 for Chetna to take up an IT job. He joined security company ADT, going from shop to shop selling alarms.

‘I used to walk 17 miles going to every part of London.’

Neeraj grew up in different parts of India, moving regularly while his father, a professor, was in the Army.

‘From north to south, west to east, I’ve grown up everywhere. I’m from nowhere and everywhere,’ he says.

He now very much calls the Isle of Man home.

Neeraj has invested about £22m in the island and £40m globally, with a view to take the figure to £100m in the next two years.

Opul joined the sponsors for the Awards for Excellence after being title sponsor of the 2025 Superstock TT Race 2.

It employs 72 staff around the island, 55 of them Manx born.

Opul’s first acquisition was St Heliers guest house on Central Promenade, now Opul House.

‘It happened accidentally,’ he says. ‘Then we bought Telecabs. That was accidental too.

They invested just under £1m in Opul Tours to support the island’s cruise sector.

‘We found all the businesses were losing money because of inefficiencies, not because they could not be profitable,’ he says.

‘They're all profitable now.’

They have brought in structure, financial backing, new technology and invested in people.

Neeraj explains: ‘I’m not here to take away jobs. We try to see how we can make a company profitable and not lose people.’

The Opul brand was born in the Isle of Man and now has a global footprint that extends to Dubai, India, Spain, Portugal and the UK.

He wants to make the island a year-round destination.

Neeraj believes the Isle of Man is worthy of being put on the world map thanks to its low crime, natural beauty, friendly people and tax benefits.

‘I’m not here to make it like Macau or Dubai, the island has a very strong individuality.

‘It needs to be showcased properly.’

He has also created jobs in the island through his other company, Positive Energy (PE Group), which sells power and gas in the UK and has a £1.5bn turnover.

A new call centre in Douglas has three staff and there are plans to recruit another 20.

Supporting the Awards for Excellence fits in with Neeraj’s ambition to bring greater recognition to the island.

‘Businesses which are doing good work and creating employment need to be recognised, they need to be looked after and they need to be showcased properly,’ he says.